Released on: September 28, 2008, 10:32 pm

Press Release Author: Sofitel Macau

Industry: Entertainment

Press Release Summary: In the Chinese territory Macau is establishing itself as a
gambling Mecca, one of the newest casinos in the historical city is set to capture
its share of the market as part of the Sofitel Macau complex.

Press Release Body: Macau 29 September, 2008 – Macau has emerged as the casino
capital of Asia and Accor’s new Sofitel Macau At Ponte 16 is expecting to win its
share of the pot after the hotel’s recent grand opening.

For those eager to try their hand at a game of blackjack, roulette, or poker,
Sofitel Macau’s casino offers 270,000 square feet of gaming floor space, housing 150
gaming tables, 5 VIP halls and 320 slot machines.

Uniquely located in old downtown Macau, the casino is operated by the Sociedade de
Jogos de Macau, the company founded by gaming giant Stanley Ho.
At a recent Singapore conference of gaming executives from around the world, the
consensus was that Macau’s emergence as a global gambling hotspot was just the start
of things to come.
“The major thing that has revolutionized the gaming industry in this part of the
world of course is Macau,” says Andy Nazarechuk, dean of the Singaporean campus of
the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
“Macau is the star in the Asian world when it comes to the gaming industry,” he told
the delegates.
Macau casinos reported revenues of US$9.7 billion in the first seven months of 2008,
up 44 percent from the same period a year before. The southern Chinese territory’s
gaming revenues in 2007 topped US$10 billion for the first time, well ahead of the
Las Vegas Strip.
Exclusive to high-rollers, the Macau Sofitel offers the The Mansion – luxury
accommodation kept specifically for the hotel’s gambling aficionados. Each
impeccable suite includes its own swimming pool and 24-hour butler service.

As part of the internationally-renowned Accor Group, one of the world’s largest
hotel groups and services, the 5-star Sofitel is the first to set up home in Macau.

The hotel was developed by Pier 16-Resort Hotel Management Limited as part of a
US$400 million (HK$3.2 billion) investment that involves a combined hotel, casino,
retail, restaurant and entertainment complex.

Nazarechuk says with the central government in Beijing easing travel restrictions,
it’s only a matter of time before Macau casino revenues surge further. Chinese
mainland visitors now account for nearly 60 percent of Macau’s total, thanks in part
to loosened restrictions.
“As the current issues are slowly resolved and as the systems evolve to meet the
needs of the current operations, there is no doubt in my mind that Macau will
flourish in the future,” Nazarechuk says.
For more information contact:
Phyllis Sio
Marketing Communications Manager
Sofitel Macau At Ponte 16
Rua do Visconde Paço de Arcos, Macau SAR
Direct Line +(853) 8861 7116
Email marcommngr@sofitelmacau.com


Web Site: http://sofitel.com

Contact Details: Sofitel Macau At Ponte 16
Rua do Visconde Paço de Arcos, Macau SAR 6480